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The London side needed a impressive performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the stands below.

Learning from Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.